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Committee presses secretary after administration proposes eliminating TRIO and GEAR UP
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Summary
Secretary McMahon told the subcommittee the administration proposes eliminating TRIO and GEAR UP programs and argued colleges now do more outreach; lawmakers objected and asked for studies supporting that move and continuity of awards.
Representative Rosa DeLauro and several Democrats pressed Education Secretary McMahon on the administration's proposal to eliminate longstanding federal college-access programs including TRIO and GEAR UP.
McMahon said the administration believes colleges and other institutions now conduct more outreach into communities and that some TRIO activities include expenses she viewed as unrelated to college access. “I saw in one example TRIO recently, that one child was brought on board and talked about going to college, but part of the TRIO program was taking them to Disney World,” McMahon said, arguing some uses warrant review.
Lawmakers countered that TRIO and GEAR UP are bipartisan, long-standing programs that advance college access for first-generation and low-income students; Representative Mark Simpson noted TRIO began as three programs and now supports roughly 800,000 potential first-generation college-goers. Members asked whether continuation awards for TRIO were delayed (grants expired May 31); McMahon said she believed continuation awards would be issued by July 1 and offered to confirm.
Why it matters: TRIO and GEAR UP are federally funded college-access programs targeted at low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students. Eliminating or restructuring them would affect outreach, counseling, and financial aid navigation services in high-need communities.
Details and debate: Committee members requested the department’s evaluative studies and evidence base for elimination or consolidation. McMahon said outreach by institutions has increased and suggested reimagining workforce and career-technical pathways as part of broader reforms.
Next steps: Lawmakers asked for the studies and data behind the budget justification, and for confirmation on the timing of continuation awards; McMahon agreed to follow up.
